San Diego Ready for New Storm This Weekend; NWS Releases Map for Storm Affected Areas
San Diego, CA: Southern California is preparing for additional rainfall as a new storm is expected to hit the region this week, according to a forecast map by National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists.
California has seen a succession of atmospheric rivers and other moisture-heavy storms during the winter. Up to 10 feet of snow fell in high-elevation regions of Northern California recently, and meteorologists predict additional rain for the southern part of the state.
The NWS office in San Diego released the rainfall estimates on Monday via a map posted on X.
The storm is forecasted to pass past Los Angeles earlier on Wednesday before reaching the San Diego region.
Ready for more rain? Maybe not but precipitation is expected with a new Pacific storm Wednesday afternoon through Thursday – here is the most likely totals #cawx #socal with some new snowfall above 5500 feet pic.twitter.com/kiBpFo8bkU
— NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) March 4, 2024
Despite the abundant rainfall raising optimism that California’s water shortage has ended, it is not without significant repercussions. In January, San Diego faced severe rainfall and devastating floods that were so intense that cars were washed away. The city announced an emergency at that moment.
The potential of flooding is heightened by the upcoming rain due to the soil being wet from previous storms. NWS meteorologist Mark Moede said that the upcoming storm will not be as severe as the one that caused devastating flooding and prolonged heavy rain in the city earlier this year.
San Diego and several other California towns have exceeded their average annual rainfall in just five months since the start of the water year in October. The city anticipates receiving an additional 0.7 inches of rain from the approaching storm, as indicated on the map.
San Diego has received 9.82 inches of rain since the beginning of October. The average annual precipitation is 9.79 inches. Riverside and Los Angeles have already surpassed their typical yearly rainfall totals for this year.
Aside from San Diego and San Ysrido, regions anticipated to receive at least half an inch of rain comprise San Clemente, Palomar, Alpine, El Cajon, Mount Laguna, and Campo.
